The weblog of golf writer and entertainment lawyer Jay Flemma. Course reviews, interviews, photos and updates on his golf travel books are all here in the player's guide to the country's greatest golf values. Jay also writes for www.golfobserver.com and Cybergolf.com. All content and photos are Copyright Jay Flemma 2004-6. All rights reserved. A Walk in the Park(TM) is a registered trademark of Jay Flemma.

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

The U.S. Open returning to Merion? We can dream, maybe it would come true...

I may disagree strongly with Geoff Shackelford about Sawgrass (I love it and the TPC and think Sawgrass should be allowed to host a major. It's a better test of golf than Pebble Beach and Riviera and they get majors frequently despite holding a tournament each calendar year)...

...but Shack found some important news in an article by Philly writer Joe Logan. Merion is being considered for the 2013 U.S. Open. The official announcement of which course will get the tournament will come at Winged Foot during this year's Open and other courses are being considered.

This would be a triumph for classic courses everywhere and would bring hope to making strategy a more important part of our national championship. Merion East harkens back to a simpler time, before waterfalls and mega-wattage developers and "daily-fee" mumbo jumbo...when guys named Joe went out for a friendly round, paid for their greens fees and bacon and egg sandwich to a counter woman named Jo.

Now our game's been perverted and complicated. Guys named Joe are now chumps named Chandler with a cell phone earpiece in their ear, munis are replaced by casino courses and "Jo" is now "Sydnee" and don't think of calling her anything but a "golf industry technician," buy Merion says "you can relax, we'll show you what an old-time, relaxing golf round is really like."